Keep Hope Alive: Essays for a War-Free World (Session 2)

The World Citizen Book Club held its second session on Keep Hope Alive: Essays for a War-Free World by the Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., covering pages 88-160. This session, co-hosted with the World Federalist Movement – Canada (WFM-Canada), featured a special guest appearance by Kehkashan Basu, M.S.M., Founder and President of the Green Hope Foundation.

About the Book

This collection of essays shines a light on the hope that humanity can achieve a peaceful and just coexistence through the U.N.’s New Agenda for Peace and its blueprint for sustainable development. Written by a veteran parliamentarian and diplomat with a 50-year public career focused on peace and human security, the book makes the case that a war-free world is not only desirable but achievable through strengthened international institutions and disarmament.

About the Author

The Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., is an author, parliamentarian, and diplomat who served as a Canadian Senator, Member of Parliament, Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament, and Visiting Professor at the University of Alberta. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee at the 43rd General Assembly in 1988. In 2018, he was recognized by the International Peace Bureau as a recipient of the Seán MacBride Peace Prize. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and the founder of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.

Special Guest

Kehkashan Basu, M.S.M., is a global influencer, educator, and environmentalist. She is the recipient of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal and the only Canadian to win the International Children’s Peace Prize. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and the first winner of the Voices Youth Gorbachev-Schultz Legacy Award for her work on nuclear disarmament, Kehkashan is a United Nations Human Rights Champion and National Geographic Young Explorer. As Founder-President of the Green Hope Foundation, she works at the grassroots level in 28 countries, empowering over 500,000 young people and women in the sustainable development process. She serves as the youngest Trustee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions and Co-Lead of UN Women’s Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice.

Discussion Highlights

The session explored the second half of the book, with participants discussing the intersections of peace, disarmament, and sustainable development. The conversation also touched on related initiatives including the Legal Alternatives to War (LAW not War) campaign, the Summit of the Future, and the People’s Pact for the Future. Kehkashan Basu brought a youth perspective to the discussion, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational engagement in peacebuilding.